Brooke update

Starting a new thread as the title of the old one sears my heart. She is stable today, gums much pinker. She is quiet and subdued though. Does not appear in any pain or discomfort, just tired. I hope it's just the anemia but I don't know. She's eating and drinking and pottying normally. Sleeping quite a bit but she still follows us around some too.

I don't know how much time we have bought but I hope we can get through this week as I am having to address some health issues myself (not super serious). I spoke with my vet and she thought average survival time might be 1 - 3 weeks. Although she has another dog patient who has been stable on the chinese meds for over 2 months.

So grateful beyond words that I retired Dec 27 and now I don't have to worry about leaving her for work. Hubby and I will tag team any errands that need doing.

Today I'm cooking the Thanksgiving turkey that I never did on the holiday (I was working) so she will get the boiled up liver to help boost her, and I've been giving her bone broth which she loves. She also ate her Sunday eggs with gusto. She is such a trooper. Did I mention I love this dog?

What a good girl! If you have eating, drinking, pottying, and walking around (even a little), you have the basics. It's good to hear that she doesn't appear to be in any pain, and that someone can be by her side 24/7.

So glad to hear this news also! Yes, we know how much you love and adore Brooke! It is certainly a blessing that you are retired now and can focus on her needs. Praying you get the longer timeline with these new meds on board. Sorry to hear you are dealing with medical issues yourself. Hope it resolves soon. Give Brooke and kiss and pat from us!

She's continuing to do so well that it's hard to know she is sick. Getting so many treats and attention. Our vet nixed the idea of Nosework class, I thought it might be OK because it's not strenuous, but I think lifting her in and out of the car is potentially dangerous for re-bleeding. Our instructor weirdly enough had her Lab pass away from the exact same cancer; she had tons of that Chinese med left over so she gave it to us - what a kindness. My retired vet who is a friend, said he's seen dogs do OK for months, so we really have no idea if her time is as short as we first thought.

The liver is very friable tissue so as the cancer eats through a blood vessel, that's what causes the bleeding, and as the tumor fills with blood it can eventually rupture which is fatal. Probably more than you want to know about it.

We cancelled our dog-sledding vacation for next month, hoping she will still be here with us. Thank you to everyone for the support and comforting comments. It is really a hard road to travel.